Epistle from Western Half-Yearly Meeting

(May 2018 Sorrento, BC)

To Friends Everywhere…

From May 18 to 20, 2018, Western Half Yearly Meeting gathered for our spring meeting at the Sorrento Centre on the unceded land and water of the Secwepemc people.

Our gathering began with a Friday visit to the Tk’emlups Museum and Heritage Park to learn more about Secwepemc culture and traditions and visit the building that housed the Kamloops Indian Residential School until 1977.

  • Friends also gathered on Friday for balancing, a beautiful tradition of playing together and exploring balance, trust and support that was started by Helen Stevenson;
  • On Saturday evening, Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) representative Matthew Legge offered an informative presentation on CFSC’s current programs;
  • Special Interest Groups held on Saturday and Sunday offered Friends the opportunity to explore the inner spiritual life with topics on self-awareness, emotional expression and authentic relationships; other SIGs were on membership, Quaker activism, technology, Right Relations, Truth and Healing with Indigenous Peoples, and the No Way to Treat a Child Campaign;
  • Children were guided in a creative program on the theme of “Impressions”, with many opportunities to explore, gather and create with art supplies and natural materials;
  • Young Friends spent time together in a work project for the Sorrento Centre and sharing time in games and songs by the fire;
  • In keeping with tradition, we hosted a Family Night on Sunday evening to celebrate and enjoy the many talents and gifts within our community.

As we gathered this year, we remembered the many Friends who could not join us this year, or who have passed on but remain close to our hearts. We felt very blessed to share this time to deepen our relationships and put in practice the values that make us a caring and nourishing community.

As we prepare our hearts to take home this light and love, we wish that you may be so blessed and enriched. As we return to our daily lives, we aspire to share the blessing of these Quaker ways we have practiced in our homes and communities.

Space still available for FREE Canadian Quaker online courses!

This May and June two session of the “Introduction to Quaker and Friends’ Ways” course will take place.

Tuesdays evenings from 8:00-10:00pm EST (5-7pm Pacific/ 6-8pm Mountain/ 7-9pm Central/ 8-10pm Eastern/ 9-11pm Atlantic/ 9:30-11:30pm Newfoundland/Labrador).

Thursdays afternoons from 1:00-3:00pm EST (10am-noon Pacific/ 11am-1pm Mountain/ noon-2pm Central/ 1-3pm Eastern/ 2-4pm Atlantic/ 2:30-4:30pm Newfoundland/Labrador)

Both sessions have a few more seats available for registrants!

Join in on these sessions to explore Quaker practice and build Friendships across the country!

Register for a course.

Read the full advertisement for more information about the course(s).

Contact the online course organizing committee for more information.

Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists

Registration is open for the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists, which will take place June 22-24, 2018, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

There will be an optional Bus Tour of Quaker historical sites following the conference, from June 24-26, which will be based out of Providence, Rhode Island.

Further information about the program, dining options, accommodations, registration, and the optional tour, is available on the conference website:
library.guilford.edu/cqha

Register for Pre-CYM Gathering for Young Friends & Young Adult Friends

You can now register for the Pre-CYM Gathering for Young Friends & Young Adult Friends:
Pre-CYM Gathering Registration Form

You can also connect with the event on Facebook:
Canadian Young Friends Pre-CYM Gathering Facebook Event

For this Gathering, Quakers ages 13-35 will spend time together at Camp NeeKauNis from the evening of August 2nd to the evening of August 4th, when we will travel the short distance to CYM in Barrie as a group. This Gathering follows the expressed desires of Young Friends at the NeeKauNis gathering in 2017, and with the hopes of bringing even more Young Friends together.

Young Friends at the 2017 Gathering

We’re looking forward to bringing together many wonderful Young Friends and Young Adult Friends to share in each other’s light. This is a great opportunity for those who have not had the chance to visit Camp NeeKauNis before, and for those who have never been to CYM and are looking to make some connections before hand! We hope to rejuvenate the Canadian Young Friends community and continue to discern our collective path forward, asking what we want to be doing and what makes sense for us.

There will be a fluid program with space for us to engage in camp activities such as swimming, drama, games, community art creations, service — as well as activities that lead us to share questions and experiences of our Quaker faith. You are also invited to bring musical instruments so that we can share in music and song.

There is once again substantial financial support for those wishing to attend the gathering.

For more information please contact .

Register for Spring Western Half Yearly Meeting 2018!

Registration for Spring Western Half Yearly Meeting 2018 at Sorrento Centre is open! The event will be held from Friday, May 18th to Monday, May 21st.

You can find more information and register at whym-registration.ca.

The deadline to register is May 1st.

You can find the schedule and business agenda on the WHYM 2018 page on the business side of our site. (Note that you will need to login into the business section, or create an account, to see that page).